Both Houses adjourned till April 3

Amid the ongoing uproar in both the Houses of the Parliament, Lok Sabha has passed the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to amend the Competition Act of 2002, while the Lower House has sent the Forest Conservation Amendment Bill to a Select Committee without any discussion in the House. Now, both the Houses meet again on April 3.

However, the Congress has protested the decision of sending the Forest Conservation Amendment Bill to a Select Committee and questioned the composition of the eight-member BJP MP led Select Committee, which has no Opposition MP except TMC’s Jawahar Sircar.

As members of the opposition parties kept raising slogans demanding a JPC probe into the allegations against the Adani Group and disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, both the Houses were adjourned within minutes of assembling on the 13th day in a row.

Notably, the Question Hour, which has been disrupted every day since March 13, remained disrupted on Wednesday too.

The proceedings of Lok Sabha were adjourned till 12 pm, while the Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm. As the Lok Sabha reassembled at 12 pm, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav moved the Forest Conservation Amendment Bill to change the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

The move was opposed by Revolutionary Socialist Party MP NK Premachandran by saying that when the House is not in order, it is not fair on the part of the government to introduce such an important Bill.

After allowing some to raise the matters of importance under Rule 377, Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to amend the Competition Act of 2002 was taken for consideration and passed in Lok Sabha without any discussion. Thereafter, the Lower House was adjourned for the day to meet again on April 3.

In Rajya Sabha, after the laying of papers, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said that he has received eight notices under Rule 267 of the House for suspension of listed business and take the matters mentioned in the notices. However, as slogans continued, he adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.

The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022, and The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022 are listed for consideration and passage, according to the legislative business schedule of the Rajya Sabha. When the Upper House reassembled at 2 pm, the disruptions continued that led to adjournment of the House within a few minutes.